e
Red Cloud easily distanced the big dirigible from which much was
expected. It was a closer contest with the large triplane, but Tom's
airship won, and was given the prize, a fine silver cup.

As the carnival was a small one, no other craft in a class with the Red
Cloud had been entered, so Tom and Mr. Sharp had to be content with the
one race they won. There were other contests among monoplanes and
biplanes, and the little Frenchman won two races.

"Now for ze affaire wis ze monstaire balloon of ze rouge color!" he
cried, as he alighted from his monoplane while an assistant filled the
gasolene tank. "I will in circles go around you, up and down, zis side
zen ze ozzer, and presto! I am back at ze starting place, before you
have begun. Zen charity shall be ze richair!"

"All right, wait and see," said Tom, easily. But, though he showed much
confidence he asked Mr. Sharp in private, just before the impromptu
contest: "Do you think we can beat him?"

"Well," said the aeronaut, shrugging his shoulders, "you can't tell
much about the air. His machine certainly goes very fast, but too much
wind will be the undoing of him, while it will only help us. And I
think," he added, "that we're going to get a breeze."

It was arranged that the Red Cloud would start from the ground, without
the use of the gas, so as to make the machines more even. At the signal
off they started, the motors making a great racket. The monoplane with
the little Frenchman in the seat got up first.

"Ah, ha!" he cried gaily, "I leave you in ze rear! Catch me if you can!"

"Don't let him beat us," implored Ned.

"Can't you speed her up any more?" inquired Tom of Mr. Sharp.

The aeronaut nodded grimly, and turned more gasolene into the
twenty-cylindered engine. Like a flash the Red Cloud darted forward.
But the Frenchman also increased his speed and did, actually, at first,
circle around the bigger machine, for his affair was much lighter. But
when he tried to repeat that feat he found that he was being left
behind.

"That's the stuff! We're winning!" yelled Tom, Ned joining in the shout.

Then came a puff of wind. The monoplane had to descend, for it was in
danger of turning turtle. Still the navigator was not going to give up.
He flew along at a lower level. Then Mr. Sharp opened up the Red
Cloud's engine at full speed, and it was the big machine which now
sailed around the other.

"I protest! I protest!" cried the Frenchman, above the explosi